Museum

MUSEUM HISTORY

A rich and glorious history The Foundation DICKINGSONART MESEUM, Created by William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglas (Abolitionists and co- founders of American Anti-Slavery Society), has its existence related to the history of the creation of Liberia by the National Colonization Society of America (NCSA, 1816), to help African victims of the slave trade, to return to their continent of origin on land bought in 1821 around the delta of the Saint-Paul river, where Liberia was to be established later in 1822. From our archives, we found a letter from the Reverend Pastor Samuel Cornish (1790-1859 of the New Demeter Street Presbyterian Church congregation) an Afro-American abolitionist born of free parents, and a one time leader of the American Anti-Slavery Society for close to half-century. In February 1850, two men sent on a mission to calm tension that arose between the resettled free slaves (Americano-Liberians) and the indigenous population, accosted on the beach of Robertsport at Grand Cape Mount. These men were asked through a letter, to send back home (US) the earliest possible “traditional objects which they discover” and which “are not found in the US culture”. In so doing, they did start the project of an African museum in the USA. Three more letters followed during May 1842 confirming the will to found a museum of African art. W.L. Garrison and F. Douglass, the two men of the expedition team, through attentive and ambitious planning requested the help of local collaborators to launch an adventure program in the region code named ‘the African Recognition collections’. The team returned to the United States with hundred of cases loaded with objects of Liberia. They then set up an exhibition road plan which was highly successful (some of the objects they brought back are still in our museum today). Quickly, these exhibition attracted many visitors and brought glory to the founders and they were awarded a gold medal at the New York Universal exhibition in 1894. On the other hand, the racial problems in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century made things difficult for the existence of an African Museum in New York. The most important articles were dispersed and sheltered in different places. Then in 1948, as New York began its cultural effervescence, the African Museum reappeared discreetly. Exhibitions were multiplied as well as many works were published on Africa and its culture. After setting up businesses in three different places in New York, the museum opened its doors again on January 28, 1969 with the name africartantic-usa. It has a surface area of 8750 m2. Visitors have at their disposal 3120 permanently exposed art objects (940 in transparent glass boxes), with more than 45.000 objects in its parking vaults. These objects come from almost everywhere in black Africa. Some of these objects were collected by missionaries who had worked in Africa on behalf of the American Anti-Slavery Society and of The National Colonization Society of America. Most of these acquisitions were purchased with funds of the Foundation though some were bought and offered by a number of sponsors including members of the Foundation of the Friends of the africartantic-usa. Further, still some of the objects are gifts and legacies bequeathed to the Museum.